Wilaya (film)

Wilaya (Arabic: ولاية, also known as Tears of Sand[1]) is a 2011 Spanish film directed by Pedro Pérez Rosado.

The film is a minimalist drama about a Sahrawi refugee family suddenly confronted with the death of the mother and the return of the younger sister, who had lived most of her life in Spain, reflecting the separation of many Sahrawi families.

Her older brother Jatri tells Fatimetu that, in her last will, her mother left her both the family's jaima (tent) and the responsibility of taking care of her handicapped sister Hayat.

She buys an old pickup truck and finds work transporting goods between the camps (wilayas), but Fatimetu is torn between life in the desert and the memories of her Spanish foster family and friends.

[2][3] The film was shot entirely at the Sahrawi refugee camps located in Tinduf, Algeria.

Sahrawi actresses Aziza Brahim and Memona Mohamed, during a press conference presentation of the movie "Wilaya", at the 10th Human rights film festival in San Sebastián , Spain , 26 April 2012